Thursday, July 12, 2007

One it is new but old of course just the way we like it. Its inventor Marin Soljacic - smiling in the middle - calls it WiTricity for wireless electricity. But the idea is coming all the way from Nicola Tesla (what doesn't these days :-) who envisioned a time when electricity would be transmitted via broadcast just like radio.

The team is positioned in the path between the coil that broadcasts power wirelessly and the receiver coil attached to the 60W light bulb.

Now it that bulb is a LED bulb, and the coil approximately 50 times smaller, you are onto something. It is just a matter of time. This is the other reason to watch this space.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

We all kind of know by now that LED bulbs last long. In fact that is the one thing manufacturers try to keep to. At the expense of other things like brightness. (And still some bulbs don't last.)

So here we go, I investigate this further.All LEDs are very sensitive to even minor fluctuations in current.My thinking is that because bulbs are built from many such LED units (with ever so slightly different qualities) they have to be under-driven to keep them last long. And that what most responsible manufacturers do. Problem is, this will affect brightness.

Lifetime is straightforward - you see when your LED dies. Brightness is a little murkier subject. There is candela, lumen etc. Luminous intensity itself is measured in various circles with various depth. Also LEDs are narrow beam "bare lights", so to compare them to compact fluorescent bulbs or to the now trendy long life light bulbs (incandescents) that are housed in a luminaire (or armature) doesn't compare apples with apples.

But let's check out others opinions.

cons (mostly)

Otherpower had a different position. But they recently reviewed it and them seem to be saying that on the whole they are not as bright as claimed.

Rob 'Linear' Arnold has a very thoughtful points about a catch 22 for household LED bulbs in the US: Underwriter laboratories (UL) doesn't see the need to list them, and surveyors doesn't see the need to approve them with UL listing. So there you go.

I still think secondary heat sinks (not just the aluminum plate in the junction) is needed for good brightness performance. And since the best of those is still for external flood light, I am going to assume that the rest is very promising, but in development for now.

But this blog also has the purposes of parking information while rearranging fun-led-light my LED light guide. And have I been busy!

What keeps me very busy in my spare time is the full update of the site with style sheets (CSS.) I find it a pain in the neck that old tables constructed without styles are poorly handled by sheets when it comes to consistency. In particular, IExplorer seems to have it's own mind how to read the styling.

But enough of that.

Meanwhile, I am also slowly updating my info on LED light bulbs. Why you ask? It's because the information I am getting doesn't seem consistent and sometimes outright misleading. Forecasting the future is one thing. But it is badly needed to sort out stuff all the same.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

This reporter runs the length of the screen in 12 seconds.The TV is a measly 11m by 66m large and could easily fit three (yes 3) tennis courts.Manufactured by the talented (and somewhat mad) folks at Toshiba, JapanWatch the picture in picture mode ...

Monday, March 05, 2007

Your very own psychedelic light show at home. Project on wall, ceiling, door or floor? No problem. Update: Discovery channel seemed to have pulled the link to this product of theirs. Why? It's a mystery. And not of the psychedelic sort. There are great reviews about the product.

I blog this here quickly in anticipation and frustration. Anticipation of a fun game that this second take on the cube is going to be. It is also a clever marketing assault.

The frustration? It is because the original cube was dear to me, I loved it. It was a modular revolution. This version is not quite the modular revolution I expect from the pioneers of LED games I have been predicting in my fun-led-light/games reports.

There is a clear intention though, and it is the only game so far that is officially treading a new and unbeaten path. However, practical problems are already showing. There is no obvious and clear navigation from the splash page, but the site actually offers you free stickers if you wore off yours in the heat of the game. It leads to TechnoSource, a US distributor for the game. Not a good sign ... ?

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Thanks first of all go to the many visitors who posted their veiws - your feedback makes the whole thing worthwhile.My most important pick out of all of them will be re automotive LED light - in particular the blinding effects of some tail-lights / brake lights.

I discussed this stuff in the Lightnetwork forum, and got some good vibe there.